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The Battleground Is Joined

By

Russ Smith

Updated Sept. 21, 2006 12:01 a.m. ET

BALTIMORE -- Maryland has never been much considered, since the term was coined, a "battleground state." Registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by a two-to-one margin, and reliably voted for John Kerry (by 13 percentage points) in 2004 and Al Gore (by 17 percentage points) in 2000. Both Maryland senators are Democrats, as well as six of its eight-member House delegation. Yet the run-up to the Sept. 12 primary was the most frenzied political blitz in recent state history. Improbably, Maryland has emerged as one of the most contested states in the country, featuring very competitive gubernatorial and...